Courtesy photo Major Ralph Hansen, left, and Hope At The Inn (HATI) Executive Committee Member Mike Winnie hold totes used to transfer supplies for the faith-based rotating emergency homeless shelter. A campaign to support HATI has been launched, and envelopes for the campaign are included in today’s issue of the Daily Press.

ESCANABA — Faith-based rotating emergency homeless shelter Hope At The Inn (HATI) recently wrapped up its sixth season. A campaign to support the shelter has been launched, and envelopes for the campaign are included in today’s issue of the Daily Press.

According to HATI Executive Committee Member Deb Trombly, the shelter saw a significant increase in usage during its sixth season.

“We just had a record utilization year,” she said. HATI’s seasons run from November to April.

The shelter recorded a total of 60 non-duplicated guests and more than 1,000 bed nights over its sixth season.

“Of those, 80 percent were Delta County residents,” Trombly said in regards to the non-duplicated guests served by HATI. She added HATI does not know exactly why demand for its services was so high in 2018-19, but the area has been experiencing availability issues related to affordable housing.

Trombly said homelessness has been a growing problem across the Upper Peninsula. Data shared by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority indicates the number of literally homeless people in Michigan as a whole declined by 9 percent from 2015 to 2017; in the U.P., the number rose by 22 percent.

“I think we’re seeing the effects of that, as well,” she said.

Hope at the Inn relies on donations, fundraisers and grants to continue operating.

“We get no state or federal funding at all,” Trombly said.

The envelope campaign is not targeting a specific amount in donations.

“We’re just happy for every dollar we receive,” Trombly said.

Trombly also spoke about what donations to the envelope campaign will be put towards.

“We need funds to cover transportation costs — (that’s) one of our biggest expenses,” she said. Along with this, donations will go towards supplies and services provided directly to shelter guests.

The shelter is entirely run by volunteers.

“We have nearly 400 volunteers that help the shelter to operate every night that it’s open,” Trombly said. Teams of at least two volunteers work in three shifts from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. each night HATI is active.

Trombly thanked the 13 local churches participating in HATI and people in the area for their support.

“We have a very generous community to keep this operating for six years,” she said.

To find out more about HATI, or to learn about resources people dealing with homelessness can utilize while the shelter is not operating, visit www.hopeattheinn.org.